FAO welcomes COP30 leaders’ call to action on wildfire resilience

Belém, Brazil – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed the launch of the Call to Action on Integrated Fire Management and Wildfire Resilience today at the Belém Climate Summit ahead of the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.

Spearheaded by Brazil and agreed by global leaders and high-level representatives, the Call to Action urges governments to move away from reactive fire suppression toward integrated fire management, which focuses on prevention and preparedness, combining scientific and traditional knowledge, and modern technologies to proactively manage wildfire.

Growing danger calls for new approach

Wildfires are a rapidly growing global threat and are projected to increase by 50 percent by the end of this century. Climate change is one factor behind more dangerous wildfires, creating hotter, drier, and more flammable conditions.

On average, 261 million hectares of land was affected by fire annually in 2007–2019, almost half of which was forested, according to the latest Global Forest Resources Assessment 2025.

Against that backdrop, integrated fire management is “central to disaster risk reduction, by preventing new and reducing existing risks, and by helping societies address the increasingly frequent and intense wildfires of a changing climate,” according to the text adopted by member states.

The Call to Action contains a 22-point framework for scaling up wildfire prevention, empowering local communities, and strengthening cross-border cooperation. It encourages support for mechanisms like the FAO-hosted Global Fire Management Hub and regional fire-management networks and centers.

In simple terms, integrated fire management advocates reducing the negative impacts of wildfires and creating capacity to address wildfires before they start, and FAO has long championed this approach. Last year, the Organization published the Integrated fire management voluntary guidelines: Principles and strategic actions to help countries develop such strategies for addressing wildfire.

The Global Fire Management Hub

A collaborative platform implemented by FAO, the UN Environment Programme, the Global Fire Monitoring Centre and many other partners, the Global Fire Management Hub brings together key partners to build capacities for integrated fire management at regional, national and community levels. It is a ‘one-stop shop’ for data, guidelines, best practices, e-learning and access to various networks and initiatives of the international fire community.

Earlier this year, the Plenary of the Global Fire Management Hub – the first of its kind – served as a space for constructive dialogue and connection among fire experts, laying the ground for future global collaboration, including through strategic working groups and regional initiatives.

The Global Fire Management Hub is financially supported by Canada, France, Germany, Portugal and the Republic of Korea.